Southern Style Blog

My Valentines

2012-02-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

The beautiful rose bush that Josh and the boys bought me bloomed on the day hoped...Valentines Day. I really an not a 'bouquet-of-flowers' type gal and would much prefer the potted plant. Roses are such a hearty plant and this one has been so beautiful to watch open and bloom. The way it grows and creates life is just so inspiring to me. I will try not to be too sappy but the rose made me think of love and how it grows. When I first got married I knew that our love would grow and develop as we faced the ups and downs of life. As long a you nourish and care for the flower it will grow and open just the way God intended, just like the love of a spouse. The devotion and love I feel for my sweet husband is more then I could have ever imagined. I look at this rose and think that its beauty was always there. Lets not go into the fact that the flower has to die because I can't really think of how that relates to love? What I will say is that the men in my life adore me and make me want to be a better mother, wife, and all around good person.

My other Valentines Day treat really didn't happen only on Valentines Day. Now that Ben can read he insists that he has to read to his brothers because he needs practice. What kind of kid says that stuff? The other day I asked him to help me in the kitchen with dishes and his response was this, "I was just wondering how I could help you. I would love to come do dishes!" Really? I think somewhere deep down I would like to believe that he is that way because of what Josh and I have taught him but I know it's just not so. He came to me this way. No matter what I have done, his soul is always so giving. I know his life will be full and happy because of the inherent goodness of his heart. While William would prefer me to read to him, he lets Ben read to him all kinds of books. William has an uncanny ability to know what people are thinking or feeling. He runs to Sam's aid if he is crying(even if he caused it!) If I am ever sad or upset William tries to calm me down, in sometimes not very effective ways. While my little Sam does not have those defining characteristics I still see little glimpses of his purity and love. He has never needed a lot of attention. He wants to know I am there when he is sad but is happy to be near me without interfering. I love his quiet silliness and the way he follows his brothers around like a little puppy. Thank you boys for being my Valentines!

Growing

2012-02-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

I recently heard about a program that Lowe's puts on for kids on the weekend. I think they do it twice a month and the projects are pretty simple. This was the first one the kids went to and it was right before Valentines Day. THe project was a small card box. Just Josh and the big boys went and they had a great time. Sam was terribly upset when the three of them walked out without him but soon enough he will be one of the big kids.

Sam was so sad he decided to dress up in a Mardi Gras mask. We have a few different masks from places we have visited but this is by far the most scary to wear.

We also had a painting day. Sam was again left out of this endeavor. When the weather cools off enough to play outside I will let him paint but I just know he will be a little crazy. Thanks to Kristen, we are still working through a giant newspaper roll of paper. I don't feel bad about wasting because I know they would just throw it away anyways.

Eating Woes

2012-02-10T07:15:00.000-08:00

Sam has been a weird kid when it comes to eating. He eats two kinds of food, really bad and really good. He eats anything sugary, carb loaded, snack, crackers, cookies, cake, ice cream or anything else he can get his hands on. He also loves all single fruits and veggies like carrots, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, peas, corn, strawberries, oranges, apples, blueberries, bananas, grapes, watermelon and much more. But when it comes to giving him food in a combination he just never goes for it. For example...if I make fried rice he will eat plain rice, a bowl of carrots, a bowl of peas, a bowl of ham, and some scrambled eggs. If they were combined he would never even try it but seeing them all separated out somehow makes him feel better about eating it. I must admit that I was kind of like that as a child...keeping all my food very separate and never touching. So for dinner last night when I made a yummy veggie and ham chowder that everyone else gobbled up, Sam sat at this stool eating an entire orange, a whole can of green beans, lots of carrots, and a few pieces of ham. What's a girl to do with this kind of kid? I have to be grateful that he is eating good things but I seriously wish I didn't have to make him a separate meal.

More School

2012-02-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to be a little more dedicated about a homeschool routine and things have been gong pretty well. We found a website that has lots of science like projects and experiments that really entertain the kids. This week we did a bubble experiment. It was pretty messy but the kids loved it. Here they are trying to blow bubbles. What you can't see in this picture is Sam. He is just out of sight, screaming for more bubbles to pop. It was the best day of school this week!

Friday Night Party

2012-02-03T08:01:00.000-08:00

Even though we don't have lots going on during the week to make our weekends so important we still try to have a little party each weekend. I try to make a meal that I know the kids love(usually pizza) and we almost always eat a treat. This week it was Blue Bell Peppermint Ice Cream with homemade waffle cones. Tuki bought us a waffle cone maker a few years ago and it has been used well. They are pretty easy to make and taste delicious. The kids often color pictures to decorate and the party starts the second Josh walks in the door. So if you are ever looking for a good time on a Friday night, come on over. We will be partying!

Kurt's Birthday

2012-01-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

My brother Kurt turned 27 this year and so we had him over for his favorite dinner...spaghetti! He is such a fun guy to have around and we love him so much! Cupcakes and Spaghetti...just what he wanted!

Riding a Bike

2012-01-29T19:00:00.000-08:00

When Benjamin turned 3 my mom bought him his first bike. We didn't get a tricycle but instead a big bike with training wheels. I made it a goal that by his next birthday he would be riding this bike without the training wheels. Little did I know that he had a different plan. His feet barely reached the pedals and thus the first six months the bike was an inside bike. With all of that time wasted(at least that is what I thought initially) I knew we had some major ground to make up that summer. Before I go on let me say that Ben is a little more reserved about change and doesn't like feeling out of control. So when he got on the bike outside the first few times it was really traumatic. He wanted to ride like his friends but just couldn't get over the fears he had. So I backed off and just let him ride. BY the time his 5th birthday had come around he still hadn't even wanted to try taking the training wheels off, now two years since he got the bike. He became a pro at the bike and extremely brave even though he still had training wheels. Will turned 3 just the month before Ben turned 5 and my mom bought Will a bike as well. This bike was the smallest bike that had training wheels, much smaller then Ben's bike. It was just right for Will but clearly to big for Ben but I had an idea. Have you seen those Strider bikes? I read up on them and didn't think they were really worth their money but I thought I could do something like it. I took the training wheels and pedals off of Will's new bike and it was just like those really expensive Strider bikes(or at least good enough for me). Will wasn't ready to ride it yet and still loved riding his little tricycle, so we told Ben to try out this little bike without pedals and training wheels. Oh, how I wish I had my camera handy when I first asked him to try. He was scared and a little upset about the lack of pedals and wheels. I encouraged him to keep trying and after just a few times he loved it. He quickly learned how to balance on the bike and could go downhill with his feet up. This has all happened since Will's last birthday in October, 3 months ago.

Fast forward to this last weekend. We spent a somewhat lazy Saturday with the kids mostly indoors until finally at about dinner time I thought I was going to explode(the kids didn't look so great either). We headed out on a walk to get a little fresh air and on a whim Josh suggested to Ben that we bring out just the pedals for the bike. "NO!" was his reply. Again, his little temperament to be hesitant of change kicked in. We said he only had to try it once when we got to the park and if he didn't like it then we would take them off and not ask again for a while. He begrudgingly agreed. We got to the park Josh put them on, gave him a little nudge and off he went. Without any help or encouragement! Usually in moments like this we have to give him a little pep talk so he feels ready for the 'change'. So in that moment my heart stopped. There he was riding a bike. I know its a silly little thing but it seems like such a big step in his life. I know that most people don't really care that my boy is riding a bike...but I care so much! He spent more then an hour figuring out all the logistics and learning how to use the brakes. He didn't even fall once! Again, a moment I wished I had my camera. The joy in his face knowing that he had just overcome a huge feat was priceless.

I am such a proud mama right now knowing how hard he has worked and seeing the joy in the final product. If you can't tell I am kind of a control freak about some things. I like to set high goals for me and my family and usually feel terrible if they can't or won't be achieved. With that said, this little bike riding project was a big deal for me as well. Ben and I have always gotten along so well but I am usually pushing him to be better, smarter, nicer, greater, kinder then maybe he is ready. With this bike I made a conscious effort to let him move at his own pace. I knew that he would get it one day and that my abilities as a mother couldn't possibly be measured by how quickly my boy rides a bike...right? Sometimes, I feel like that though. The success of my child(success according to others, usually) makes me feel like I am good or bad mama. I spend many hours, days, sleepless nights thinking about how many things I have done wrong in my parenting and how I could be better each day. Either the rest of you do this or you all come by being great parents naturally. I just feel so inadequate most of the time when I look at how I am doing my 'job' as mom. I know I shouldn't compare myself to others but I do. Deep down, I really wonder...are my kids going to be good well rounded people? Are they going to look back on their lives with happiness or sadness? Will they love me when they don't need me like they do now? I sure hope all of my dreams for my children come true. But this whole bike thing taught me a lot. I may have been chosen to be their mother but it's really me who is the lucky one. I get these beautiful spirits and I hope I make the most of what I have.

A Few Thoughts

2012-01-24T12:58:00.000-08:00

Tuki and Kaleem gave us a beautiful gift this year and in the background of the picture you can see it. It is called an Earth Cycle Calendar. It was really perfect timing for our family as we have been talking about time with Ben recently in school. Time is such a hard concept to explain and grasp so this calendar has been so helpful because it is so easy to see the whole year. Also, they gave the boys a lego set of a space shuttle. A few days ago Josh and the boys put it together and they have not stopped playing with it since. While I was a little wary about having a "set" of legos because so often a vital piece gets lost and then the toy becomes useless. Surprisingly my boys have played so well with the Space Shuttle and no pieces have been lost...yet.

Also, we have recently moved Sam into the toddler bed. I really don't like cribs very much and I only really use them for a little while. I love them being able to come get me in the night and right in the morning for that first nursing.(Yep we are still going strong with the nursing!) My mark of readiness for a big bed is when they can climb off a couch without help. We put Ben in this bed at 10 months and Will in the bunk beds at 11 months so Sam has over stayed his welcome in the crib by being 15 months old when we took him out. While we are still working on him staying in his bed when we lay him down major progress has been made. I was, however, sad to find this scene upon going to bed last night. As I went in to give them all one more kiss before I went to sleep poor Sam was asleep on the floor. He really is just a fun kid to have around. People have been telling me a lot lately that my kids all look exactly alike and I have a hard time seeing it. I wonder if thats because I stare at them all day? Either way, my boys are cute and so good to me. I just couldn't imagine my life without these three bundles of joy!

Most Beautiful Sight

2012-01-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

I just had to document my sweet husband vacuuming with a baby in his arms. He really is the most amazing husband!

Science Center

2012-01-23T12:31:00.000-08:00

The Austin Nature and Science Center has homeschool programs each month. We went to one at the end of November and loved it so I signed the kids up for the other ones this school year. This particular one was about Solutions. THey first talked about the difference between a mixture and a solution. Here are the kids separating the mixture of iron, sand, and rock salt.

The next topic was dissolving using cold and hot water. Then they were able to experiment with salt and sugar on a block of ice.

Last they showed the kids how different concentrations of color made the water a different color. They also did what they called making the colors dance in milk. They put a few drops of food coloring in some milk that was in a 9x13 pan and did not mix it. Then they dropped a few drops of soap and watched the milk churn and the colors really moved. The kids LOVED that experiment!

Then they used a hot plate and crayons to see how different colors come together to make other colors.

These classes are really enjoyable for my kids and I love meeting other homeschooling moms here in Austin. When I see moms with lots of kids and all the kids are smart and well-behaved I gain the confidence that it is possible to do it!

Did You See That?

2012-01-21T15:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am a little proud of my amazing husband. Here is his diploma all framed and hung in our bedroom as a reminder that hard work and dedication totally pay off. I can't believe he is all finished with his PhD! It seemed like it would never come to an end and now that it is over it feels wonderful. We are still in Austin so in some ways it feels a little anticlimactic but we are finished and moving on to bigger and better things. Our lives are so happy that sometimes I think I need to pinch myself just to know that I am not dreaming. We are looking forward to a real job and a new place to live at some point this year...we will keep you posted!

Am I Big Enough?

2012-01-19T15:12:00.000-08:00

When we went to the park the other day the big boys ran to the big swings and started going. When Samuel finally made it to the swings he insisted I put him on one. I thought, "Why not?" He was so proud of himself for staying on just like a big boy. He stayed on for about an hour while I pushed him gently. Each time I tried to take him off he would cry and beg to be back on. Finally, after seeing the boys playing on the biggest slide at the park he wanted off so he could conquer the big metal slide. He is growing up so fast!

Birthday Boy

2012-01-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

Right after California I got back in the car with the kids and headed to my mom's for a week. It just so happened to coincide with my younger brother Brad's 23rd birthday. He has only been home a few months and look at that cute girl he is dating? We had a great time all week but we were a little sick. My mom was so great to take care of us while we were sick. Josh was able to take the Greyhound Bus from Austin to Houston on late Thursday night and then came back home with us a couple day later.

As a kids we had cupcakes for birthday's instead of a cake and we shaped the cupcakes in the age that you were turning. We did it again for the sake of tradition!

This is Sam trying to say 'cheese' for the camera. I know I am biased about the cuteness of my kids but who else could love them as much as me?

One tradition when we go to Houston is Rory, my mom's husband, makes us the best carrot apple juice from scratch. Ben absolutely LOVES it, as evident but the orange mustache!

On Our Way Home

2012-01-02T21:26:00.000-08:00

We started our drive the evening of the 1st and everything was great! We stayed in a hotel in Las Crusas on Monday night and the kids played and played.

We tried to pack light but with Christmas presents it was a little more challenging. Our van always looked like it was a disaster even though we worked so hard to keep these organized. We love traveling so hopefully we will have many more fun filled adventures with our van.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T19:26:00.000-08:00

For New Years we had a party at Tuki's with all the other Cambridge's.(I say that because it was Josh's two brothers and their families...we like to call each other the "Other" Cambridge's) Naomi brought up a craft for all the kids that was a huge hit! Mod Podge, shiny stones, and a piece of plexiglass to made a sun catcher.

We celebrated the New Year at New York time...9 PM California time. Arron and Marcy brought up hats, kazoos, party poppers, and a few fireworks. The party was complete.

Some started playing Auld Lang Syne and quickly some dancing broke out.

This picture is included for no real reason other then these two kids are super cute and I wanted to show them off.

I can't imagine a better way to end a fantastic year. 2011 was such a great year and we assume next year won't be any different.

Sacramento Train Museum

2011-12-31T19:10:00.000-08:00

Levi and Naomi have a membership to the train museum in Sacramento, so of course we had to go. Grandpa, Eve, Marcy's family, Naomi's family, and us all met at the museum. We were able to only pay for Josh to get in which was so nice.

The crew of kids in front of one of the trains.

My sweet boy Will inside a train.

Taking a break on a vintage train station bench.

"Hello? Can I play with this train?"

How many Cambridge's long is this train?

These three kiddos are just about 5 months apart. We are missing one(Claire) who is just 6 weeks younger then Ben. These kids played SO great together while in California.

After playing with the Thomas the Train tables we headed outside to see the river and train bridge.

The bridge in the background turns from the middle to allow boats to pass but we didn't get to see it do that this time.

Of course the caboose has to be at the end!

More Christmas

2011-12-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas we all ended up at Josh's dad's for more presents and partying. They ordered pizza which was perfect for our big crowd. Grandpa gave all the bigger kids Nerf guns this year and it was so fun!

This picture was taken at Tuki's but I just had to add it in. Sam has really attached himself to Ben and so I will often find the two of them cuddling like this to watch a movie. Love it!

Christmas Day Eve

2011-12-25T20:36:00.000-08:00

Everyone seems to end up at Tuki's house on Christmas day. Josh decided to build a fire and roast marshmallows.

I just thought this picture was sweet. I think the only people who love your kids almost as much as you do are grandparents. I can honestly say that Tuki and Nona really do love their grandkids so much!

The kids all piled on the couch for a nighttime viewing of Sword and The Stone. Such a wonderful day!

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was such a joy! Arron, Marcy, and their 3 girls came to spend the night at Tuki's with us. Poor Megan was sick the night before and all morning so she didn't get to enjoy the festivities as much.

William is going into Primary this year so I decided to make them church bags. A friend found a messenger bag tutorial here and I copied it and made a boy version. We filled the bags with a new Book of Mormon, a Children's Songbook, some new markers, and a little drawing notebook. They love the bags so much and really love having their own stuff at church!

After just a few presents the kids were all hungry so we had a little snack. Isn't this table so cool!

Tuki and Kaleem gave the magnet cars that are so awesome! These are the best toys ever...I know this because even one month later my kids are still arguing over who gets to play with the magnet cars.

The main present we gave to Josh's parents was a copy of his dissertation. Tuki was so touched that she had a copy of it.

This was pretty much how Sam looked all day. He was so into opening presents and being part of the party. I love this age and his little personality is really showing through so much!

Josh and I have a hard time giving each other fun gifts when our money is so tight so we both got eat other things that were needed and necessary. Even though those gifts are completely unromantic and not extremely surprising, we love it!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T15:58:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve all the Cambridge's went over to Josh's dad's house for a big party. As usual, great food, great company, great entertainment, and a visit from Santa are all part of the fun. The kids enjoyed all the entertainment and really love playing with their cousins.

Afterwards we went back to Tuki's and opened one quick present before bed...PJ's. This year I made them and I think it will be tradition now. A quick pair of matching flannel pants for each of them is easy enough and I love it when they all match!

Grandpa Farmer

2011-12-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

Josh's Dad has a ton of fun things for the kids to do and the big favorite of our kids is riding around in the electric cars. One is like a firetruck and the other a John Deer tractor. William thought they were bumper cars for a while and insisted on chasing Ben down. They each took a turn driving Sam around, which he loved. We had a great time visiting Grandpa Farmer!

Santa Claus

2011-12-23T10:16:00.000-08:00

A couple days before Christmas we tagged along with Arron and Marcy to visit Santa. This year was the first year we talked about Santa to the kids. Ben is still trying to figure it all out but Will didn't seem to care too much. It was a fun time meeting Santa though! Thanks for letting us come with you guys!

So this picture is blurry but I think it may be the only picture I have of Kaleem. She is always around but hardly ever in front of a camera. She usually has her own fancy camera out shooting away at the kids and family. She really helps us keep a good picture history of our family.

Another night in the spa with Tuki was in order before the hoopla of Christmas came around. The boys keep asking to go back play in the big bath tub with Tuki.

Party Time

2011-12-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

One morning we decided to head out to see the fountains at a mall near Tuki's house. My boys love things like this...if only it had been a little warmer I think they might have tried to get wet!

Josh's eldest brother Levi and his family hosted a Christmas party for all the kids. Their house was decorated so beautifully and we had a wonderful time!

After a yummy dinner it was time for entertainment. Arron and his family sang cute song about Santa being stuck in a chimney.

Ethan read How the Grinch Stole Christmas all by himself. It was a long story but he did such a fantastic job.

Levi and his family each had a number to perform. Andrew played the piano, Bryson read a poem, Catherine led us in some carols and Levi sang and played more Christmas songs.

It really was a wonderful time! Thanks Levi and Naomi for hosting!

Birthday Girl

2011-12-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

My sweet niece Courtney had her birthday while we were there in California. She had some things that she wanted to do and invited the whole family to join. One activity was to have a fire and roast marshmallows. Ben and Will helped Tuki collect the firewood.

After a yummy dinner at In-N-Out we drove by some Christmas lights. Driving down the first street I let the big boys out of their seat belts to stand by the window. They loved it!

Afterwards, we met at Tuki's house for hot chocolate and cookies. The cookies were wonderful(Thanks Marcy!) and the hot chocolate was divine.

Then it was time for presents. I think Courtney's favorite gift was a pink guitar from her mom and dad. She was so excited and loved performing for everyone! Happy 9th Birthday Courtney! We are so happy to have you as part of our family!

Cold and Candy Houses

2011-12-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

California is pretty cold this time of year compared to Texas. Tuki was kind enough to turn up her heater for us wimpy Texans but the mornings were still a little cold. Most mornings Josh would let me sleep in a little and when I would come out this is the view I would find. Isn't that a cute bunch!

One of my FAVORITE things about TUki's house is the laundry room sink. It is just the right size for a baby bath and it is high up so it doesn't have to break your back. Sam loved it! I am putting this on my wish-list for my house.

One night I decided it would be fun to decorate gingerbread houses. The only problem is I don't like gingerbread and I don't know how to make it. Instead we did rice crispy houses which has become a sort of family tradition for us. We stacked a couple of big rice crispy chucks on top of each other and let the kids go crazy with frosting and candy.

They make big messes this bunch, but they sure have lots of fun!

Will quickly finished his house because he could barely stop eating all the candy. He is definitely my child...can we say sweet tooth?

Ben had a plan and a little more patience to make a house. He enjoyed the process and ate his house very slowly.

Oh how I wish we lived closer to these ladies. Ben had such a great time playing with the girls!

Slow Start

2011-12-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

Usually when I head out on vacation I over book every minute of the day so that we don't waste any time. Even though we have been to Sacramento so many times there are still things we have not done. But this time I made a conscious effort to not play very many things, thus our activities were small and spontaneous. Tuki has a wonderful hot-tub in her backyard and she invited the kids to hop in with her one morning. The kids were reluctant at first because it was so cold outside. "How can we go swimming in weather like this," is what I am sure they were thinking. But after a little understanding they got in and had a marvelous time. Tuki even let them use the fountain.

Later that after noon we took a walk around a park near Costco. It was a lovely walk with a fun park at the end of the trail.

After the kids went to bed we had a Beatles sing-off - Tuki singing, Josh on the guitar, and Jared on the drums.

Dinner

2011-12-16T11:25:00.000-08:00

We arrived in California at about 3 PM and Tuki and Kaleem still had a few clients before they were ready to party. All the family came over for dinner later that evening. I thought this site was pretty cute...Tuki and Sam alone at the table.

The kids played so great together the whole time. Ben and Will really had a great time playing with their cousins. Even Sam enjoyed the play time but because he was the baby he either can't keep up or he got a little picked on. Oh well! Soon enough he will be big enough to defend himself against those big kids!

Rewind

2011-12-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

We just returned from a long vacation (almost 3 weeks) to California. We are going to do a little rewind and blog about all that happened there so forgive me if things seem a little late.

We decided to drive out to Cali at the last minute and it was a whirlwind to get everything ready. 1800 miles to Sacramento is no easy task with 3 little ones.

Here they are ready to go to bed. I made neck pillows to make the drive a little more comfortable. The kids are now pros at this whole long drive stuff!

We decided to start the drive as the kids went to bed so that about 1/3 of the drive they could sleep through. It went beautifully. At about 6 AM we came into El Paso. My amazing hubby drove the whole night while everyone slept. We drove the rest of the day and got into Palm Desert, California at about 5 PM. We decided to stay just inside California for the night and then drive up the coast the next day. We went to one of our favorite places for dinner, In-N-Out. Sam, of course, loved the milk shakes.

We all went to bed early and got up early. We got into Sacramento about 3 in the afternoon. We were all ready to be out of the car and ready to party with our family!

Symphony Sing-A-Long

2011-12-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

Crazy huh? Well, a good friend told us about a great concert that the Austin Symphony puts on at Christmas time. The concert is free but you have to get tickets. She said the tickets go fast on the day they become available so I got to the box office early to get ours. THey were only supposed to give out 4 per person but the nice man gave me an extra. I was so relieved because even Sam needed a ticket. The concert was so much fun and the music was fantastic. We sat right behind brass section, nera the trumpets of course. THe kids were tired by the end of a 90 minute program that started at 8PM. This is a definite must-do-again. We got the privilege of sitting next to a family who had a child with Downs Syndrome. He was so much fun to sit next to and it made me miss my sweet niece Courtney. There is nothing like the symphony and singing.

For ME!!!!

2011-12-12T13:25:00.000-08:00

My brother who lived with us for about a year came over this last weekend with this...an iMac. I won't go into the details of how AMAZING this computer is but let me just say it is so awesome. I grew up using Apple computers but Josh has not been so convinced so we have been using a PC for the last 7 years. My sweet brother gave this to us(mostly me)as payment for rent over the year and everything else. He was such a blessing to have around and we sure do miss him. Thanks Kurt!

Christmas Came Early

2011-12-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

We were not going to see my mom for CHristmas this year so she came up for a visit this last weekend and brought gifts for the kids. They love opening presents and Nona spoils her grandkids rotten.

Live Nativity

2011-12-05T08:01:00.001-08:00

Just down the street from our house, a church puts on a live nativity every year at Christmas time. We attend last year and had a great time so we went back this year. It had rained all day so we weren't even sure we were going to make it but the skies cleared and it was a cool, dry night. We love being reminded of the birth of our Savior. After the presentation the Pastor of the church spoke about some of their doctrine relating to Jesus Christ. Afterwards Josh and I spoke about the simple truths of the gospel that we take for granted and how so many people don't know what we know.

I know that I am a literal child of God. He is my Heavenly Father and he knows and loves me. I know that, like the 1st Article of Faith, God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are 3 separate beings with 3 separate duties but all serving one main purpose. I know that Christ atoned for my sins and if I repent and continue to endure then I can live with my Heavenly Father again. It is not by grace alone that we are saved. We must make the choice to follow Christs' example and do the work necessary to be with our Heavenly Father. At this special time of year I am particularly grateful for those truths that help guide me and keep me on course. Without those truths I know I would be lost. What a joyous time of year to think of all that we have and can be grateful for!

More SeaWorld

2011-12-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

Yep, we went to SeaWorld again. So if you keep up with my blog just ignore this post because it is more of the same except with a Christmas flare.

We had a wonderful time as usual at SeaWorld and the festivities for Christmas were wonderful. All the programs were perfect for the kids. Josh and I were thoroughly impressed that SeaWorld celebrates Christmas as Christ's birth and all that goes with it. We loved that!

Bubbles at the Sesame Street show were a huge hit with Sam!

It is Texas so we didn't need coats for most of the day and there was a Mariachi Band dressed up...they were actually really good!

For some reason my boys needed to run this day and so we spent some time hanging out by the giant candy canes so they could run some laps. Boys and their energy...I love it!

Maybe I should get this one a teething toy. His molars are coming in and they are the worst I have had yet. I am sure that cold metal felt great.

Kids love animals. They love to watch, pet, feed, and play with any they can get their hands on. We got to feed the flamingos and ducks this time which was really great.

We watched a shortened version of Polar Express in 4-D. The room gets really cold since we are at the north pole but other then that the kids thought it was great.

Then to the usual stop at the carnival rides. The Carousel is the favorite one of the kids but it makes me sick.

Since Josh plays the trumpet we had to stop by and listen to the brass band play some classic Christmas songs. Two trumpets, one saxophone, one trombone, and one tuba and they were really awesome. It is sad how few people were there to watch them. Live music like this is just not appreciated the way it should be.

Tons of Christmas lights everywhere made for a beautiful evening. Also, the Texas Christmas tree was really neat.

One more stop by the penguins to see how the babies are growing and to ride the moving sidewalk.

Of course Elvis and a Bull are part of the Christmas holiday here in Texas.

And Shamu dressed up as Santa. We had a great time! It is so nice to do fun activities like this as a family. I am so grateful Josh likes doing this sort of stuff too!

We Have A Plan

2011-12-02T10:56:00.001-08:00

Well, sort of. Once Josh knew he was going to graduate he began looking a little harder for a job. Being done with a PhD can be a little scarey when the job market is not the greatest. He applied to a few places and nothing took. Around this same time Josh's adviser came to him with a job opportunity. Josh accepted the post-doctoral position here at UT working with his adviser. A grant finally came through to work on a completely different project then what he wrote his dissertation on. So yes we have a job but life feels just about the same. The job will be for at least one year maybe two and the pay is better. We are petitioning to stay here in student housing so that we do not have to move now and then again in a year. The bad part is that it doesn't really feel any different. We just spent nearly 7 years living with very little, all the while hoping for something much grander at the end. While we could move to a nice bigger apartment the cost may be too great. We can't buy a house right now without knowing we are going to be here for a while and if we are not buying then I would just rather stay where we are. Better the devil you know right? The thought of staying in this apartment has me a little crazy though. We have growing kids and too much stuff. I don't like sharing my outside space. Just this last week the neighborhood kids who have no adult supervision piled mounds of dirt and rocks on the sidewalk leading to my front door. A couple days later Josh had brought his bike home from campus and the kids tore apart his bike seat making the bike completely unusable. Someone has stolen a training wheel from Ben's bike and tons of toys have gone missing. I would love to share my space with only people I want and have the opportunity to have my kids play outside without worrying. The nice thing about staying is the cheap rent. We can continue to save for a nice house and dream about the wonderful things to come. We love our ward and if we moved it would have to be out of the ward. And I know this sounds lame, but I really love all my friends here. So, that's the plan. Stay here for another year and hope we don't all go crazy in the 700sqft. space. I am glad we have a job but sad that we are not closer to family. Josh will be able to spend more time looking for a job because he will not longer be teaching. We felt this was the best decision for our family and continue to hope for better things to come!

Bethlehem

2011-11-30T21:30:00.000-08:00

A good friend let me in on a few fun activities that they do during the Christmas season and we attended on last night. A local church has animals to pet and hold. Then they set up a marketplace full of shops that could have been in Bethlehem at the time of Christ's birth.

The animals are always so fun and I can't wait until we have the chance to have some of our own!

Toy making and perfume making were two of the things the boys loved. There we so many people and I was too afraid to lose Sam. He is quite the wanderer so he spent his evening in the stroller. The boys headed off to the jewelery making store to make a necklace.

We stopped by the bank to make a small piggy bank. We could have painted them there but we waited until today to do that.

I was so impressed by all the activities they had. Basket weaving, cloth dyeing, pottery making, and bread making were just some of the other shops they had that we did not visit. I'm so glad we could start this Christmas season off with such a fun family night! Thanks Joce!

Home School Days

2011-11-30T12:53:00.000-08:00

Once I decided to home school I found tons of fun activities that I could do with the kids that are either free or low cost. Near our house there is a free Nature and Science Center that offers a home school program once a month for just a few dollars. The age group went from 3-5 so both the big boys could attend. They have already had a few sessions but this was the first one we were able attend and the topic was Weather. They first talked about different animals and how the weather effects them differently.

The first was a Salamander. They didn't get to hold or touch him and the kids were bummed.

They did get to pet the bunny. (Side note: I took these pictures with my iPod and they came out a little fuzzy, sorry.)

Next was a couple of snakes...they loved it!

Then it was time to go outside and test the weather. They walked around to see if there was any wind.

Any wind here? How about we raise them up? Nope, nothing!

Then they tested the temperature in the sun, in the shade, and in the water.

Then it was back inside for a slide show about clouds and a little movie.

Of course we had to make a cloud book!

The kids had a great time and I think they learned a lot. I love doing these kinds of things with my kids and home schooling will continue to provide these opportunities for me. Along with that, while we try to be pretty regular about bedtime I love having nights where we can just stay up, snuggle and watch movies and eat popcorn...no matter what night of the week. I love my kids so much! I am so lucky!

Christmas Time Is Here

2011-11-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

Last year we set up our Christmas tree near the beginning of November. We love Christmas so much and we don't think Thanksgiving minds sharing the day! But this year we were so busy and then out of town for Thanksgiving that we didn't set up our tree until Monday night! Yikes! We have two trees right now: one for the front room with only blue and silver on it and the other has the colored lights and all the fun ornaments on it for the kids room. They look forward to using it as a night light and secretly wish it could stay in their room all year long. Last Christmas we bought a trio of videos that included Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. In the month of October we watched the Great Pumpkin and we just about wore out the Thanksgiving DVD this month. We have already watched the Christmas special a few times and I am sure we will have it totally memorized in time for Christmas! I love Christmas time!

Nona's House

2011-11-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

After all that time with my sister my mom started getting a little jealous. So we stayed an extra couple of days with Nona just to hang out and watch some football! It was glorious! Thanks mom for letting us crash at your house for a few days!

On a side note: I have had a great time with cloth diapering. I had made all my own medium size cloth diapers out of flannel a few years ago. Since I have been using them for about a month I thought about making more or buying the other sizes. The cost was what was holding me back with making them because flannel is $5-7 a yard. So I have been keeping my eye out for sales but nothing was good enough until Black Friday. All of Jo-Anns flannel was going on sale for $1.49 a yard with no limit! What a bargain! I needed 45 yards to make 4 dozen newborn size and 3 dozen of the small and large size(we have the medium size right now). It cost me $67.05 to buy that much flannel and it would have cost me over $300 to buy them pre-made. I was so happy to find this deal! Also, Josh and I have decided to get ride of paper towels and napkins and go to cloth. So we bought some extra flannel and will hopefully get those cut and sewn soon! I love trying new things and I hope to enjoy the new sewing projects I have.

Thanksgiving Week

2011-11-25T07:38:00.000-08:00

The day after Josh defended we headed to Houston to spend time with my dad and his wife Holley. They came to Houston to visit everyone for Thanksgiving this year at my sister's house. My sister and her husband offered to host Thanksgiving at their big beautiful home in Houston. It was so wonderful to have a big space to be together and eat such wonderful food! She was such a gracious host and we had a fabulous time!

To celebrate all of my boys birthdays my dad took us to Itz. It is so much fun with a great buffet. We rode a roller coaster simulation that was so fun and the boys rode the banana ride. Trains, bowling, bumper cars, and all kids of arcade games are also there. The kids have a fabulous every time we go! Thanks Dad and Holley for that wonderful treat!

When my BIL Taylor bought the house they live in it came with a pool table. It is broken and really unusable now but my boys loved it. Ben made a crown shape out of the balls and wanted his picture taken wearing the crown.

My brother Brad eating the yummy cinnamon rolls Holley made! They were seriously so good!

Will has a special place in his heart for his uncle Kurt. Kurt is such a great uncle to my kids and they adore him! We sure do miss having him around but I know he enjoys having his own space.

I know that setting the turkey out on the table and then carving it is traditional but that's not what happens in our family. Before we eat we de-bone the turkey. It took about 5 people to get all the meat out of this 24 lb turkey! Boy was it delicious! Poor Sam loves his daddy so much and cried at his feet almost the whole time he was working on the turkey.

I didn't take any pictures of the spread but it was lovely and pretty traditional. After all that work everyone was totally wasted.

After spending all our time together these two showed us how we all felt on the inside...a little crazy!

Unfortunately we had to say goodbye! We are so glad that Dad and Holley came to visit and wish we could see them more often!

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

2011-11-22T07:27:00.000-08:00

I just can't believe my oldest baby is 5! He turned five just a few days before Thanksgiving and we celebrated at my sister's house. We had a couple of presents and, by request, cupcakes and a cake.

My whole world changed 5 years ago. I became a mother and everything felt right. I have changed so much over the last 5 years and so have my kids. Ben is especially helpful and patient. In fact, just the other night, Will climbed into his bed and was poking his eye. Suddenly I heard Ben cry and rushed in. I asked Ben why he didn't call out to me when Will was poking him and he said it was because he didn't want to wake up Sam who was sleeping in the crib. What a good boy he is! He is a great big brother and is getting smarter and smarter everyday. Happy Birthday Ben! We love you!

He's Done!

2011-11-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

Josh presented his work on Friday November 18th at 1:30. I was there for the public part of the presentation and then I had to step out. He spoke for a while with his committee and then he came out. They deliberated for a few minutes and decided he was done. No corrections or revisions! He was done! What a relief! His presentation was a huge success and even though I didn't understand any of it I was sure proud of him. Afterwards my mom brought the boys up to the party. Not too many people getting PhD's have kids, not to mention 3, so they were quite enamored by the boys. The party was great with quite a few people coming to celebrate Josh. This is Josh and his PI, Dr. James Walker. He used to be head of the department here at UT and is not semi-retired. I am sure they keep asking him if he wants to retire but he is pretty sure he will stay for many more years to come. Although, Josh told me recently that he will not take on any more PhD candidates, it is too much work!

My two brothers were there to support. Thanks Kurt and Brad!

We are so happy to be done with this process. Josh has a few more papers to get signed and then on December 15 he will officially graduate and become Dr. Josh Cambridge!

Annual Celebration

2011-11-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

Pretty much every year we have gotten these three kids together around their birthdays. Benjamin, Senya, and Clara are only 5 weeks apart. The three mommies had a great time being pregnant together. Senya's mom and I were having our first and Clara was a second child. I remember being so grateful for like minded women to be around when I had my first. Most people thought I was crazy for having my first baby at home becuase you just don't know what to expect. After I had Ben a lady from church said that she was glad it went well because most of the stories like mine don't end well. But these two ladies have each had babies not in the hospital(even if it wasn't on purpose!). They are great women with great family's. Our husbands all get along well, and the kids all play great together.

When we first had these three kids we only had 4 total. Now there are nine between the 3 families! We sure know how to multiply and replenish!

This year Senya's family hosted the celebration and we had a marvelous time! Senya's mom made some really yummy chili's.

So for added entertainment I thought I would add the picture from last year and the year before. My how they grow! Thanks to the Bate's for hosting and for the Wikle's for organizing. Maybe next year we can host if we have a bigger place!

Last Game

2011-11-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

So officially they don't keep score at any of the soccer games but on the day of Ben's last game he knew that his team only had won 1 game. He got a medal at the end of the whole thing and was really surprised about that. I had forgotten about that so I too was pleasantly surprised. He loved soccer and I think we will put him in it again in the spring. We thought about flag football but maybe next year. Thanks YMCA for being so great!

Matchy Matchy

2011-11-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

When Josh was working so hard to finish up his dissertation I took the kids to Houston to see my mom. We attended a high school football game and of course my mom had to buy the kids new outfits that match. It sure does make it easy to find them! The kids love football even if it is only high school ball.

We took a stop by Wal-Mart and they had a sign out for their cookie club. I didn't know they gave away free cookies! This will make our store trips much nicer!

A Tribute

2011-11-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

This is for my sweet husband Josh.

He is going to be defending his dissertation in just under 2 weeks...12 days to be exact. For those of you who don't know what that means let me explain. After almost 7 years of work of research on E.Coli, Josh wrote up his results and will present his findings to a committee who has been following him for the last 5 years. He has spent the last month on very little sleep while editing and formatting his dissertation. He either sleep from about 3-6AM or 9-12PM and then get back up to work more. He has worked through Saturday and then does as much as he can on Sunday evenings. He is also teaching 2 full days a week and grading papers. When he felt ready, he contacted his committee members and set a date for the defense. He reserved a room and has filled out all the paper work to go forward with the defense. He will present to his committee for about 45-60 minutes and that is the part that the public can attend. My mom will come up and watch the boys so that I can go. After his presentation, everyone leaves except Josh and his committee. Then they question him and discuss the implications of his research. At some point during this part, they will approve him to officially graduate but they may have some stipulations. He may have to edit his dissertation but if so it shouldn't be too much. Then...he can graduate and officially be Dr. Cambridge!

Just for documentation purposes, here are pictures of his dissertation. If you can understand what that title means you get a gold star!

I am so excited to be done with this chapter of our lives He has had so many obstacles to overcome since the beginning of this program and he has always pushed himself forward. He has always put his family first and has been the best husband and father I could have ever asked for. He is the perfect companion for me and I am so lucky to be his wife. He is so wonderful with his boys and wants to show them the world. The adore him and miss him every time he is not with us. When he comes home from work they run to the door and greet him with hugs and kisses.

So this post is for my husband who can do anything he sets his mind to. I love you!

More Halloween Stuff

2011-10-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

After our long morning at Sea World we took a stop by our local YMCA to have pizza, cookies, and a ride down the blow up slide. A nice lady at the Y took our picture. We had to get more use out of those costumes.

I know its hard to see but that is Ben the scarecrow going down the slide. Will was a little hesitant with all the bigger kids so he chose not to go down.

After the YMCA Halloween event we ran over to meet Josh at his department's Halloween Party. They have Amy's Ice Cream(a local favorite) and games for the kids. I forgot to take pictures there but we had fun.

Halloween and Sea World

2011-10-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

Since we already had the season passes to Sea World I thought I should take them down there to have a little Halloween fun. We weren't able to stay long enough to see the whales but maybe next time. We will try to go again around Christmas time just for fun.

It was a cold day to start out but it warmed up nicely in the afternoon. We started out with a family favorite, the dolphins.

Then to the sharks. Ben really wanted a picture in front of this giant shark. By the way...where is Sam? Walking around trying to escape. Now that he can walk he has to be held down if I want a picture of him.

Then it was off to the Sea Lion show. We stopped by to see the baby sea lions but they are so grown up now we could hardly tell which ones they were.

A young lady in front of us took our picture. I really appreciate other people taking pictures for me when I don't have another adult with me.

Notice how Ben and Will are holding Sam there. He will only stay still for about a second and then he has to get up and go.

We wandered over to the kiddy rides and both Ben and Will wanted to ride the roller coaster. As soon as the bar came down to hold them in Will started to cry. They let him off and then it was just Ben. I couldn't go with them because of Sam so they were going to go with each other. Well, Ben was fine until they were about to start and he realized he was alone. I told them to send them and the worker said that he normally stops the ride for a crying kid. Poor Ben cried the whole time(about 30 seconds). Then he got off and told me how upset he was that he went by himself. Well, when we got home that was the first thing he told his dad, "I rode the roller coaster all by myself." I knew he would be so proud of himself once he got over the fear. I was able to snap a picture of Ben just before he started to cry.

After the trauma of the roller coaster we went on the carousel. They wanted to go again but I couldn't do it, all that spinning and spinning and spinning. Well, you get the idea.

Then it was time for a little Trick or Treating at FantaSea. They had tons of people dressed up as sea creatures. It was really fun even though my boys were not dressed up. They passed out fruit snacks, markers, and baby bananas.

Our last stop before heading home was the penguins. The boys love to ride the moving sidewalk(is that what they are called?) in front of the penguins so I just sat behind them and let Sam run around. Again, Ben and Will try to detain Sam for one more picture.

I think at night the park gets really busy but the daytime was absolutely lovely. Very few people there and the weather was just lovely for a short day. I think something happens on this stage at night but it was all quiet during the day.

On the way home everyone slept so we could part more at the YMCA and at Josh's work. I am so glad that my kids are happy travelers so that we can do all these fun things, even if I don't have Josh with me. We sure did miss him though!

Happy Birthday...and Other Stuff

2011-10-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

My sweet William turned 3 today! I can't believe how fast he is growing up. Just in the last few months he seems to have found more personality, even when I thought he had enough. He is a very expressive child(I wonder where he gets that from?) He loves to compete. He tries his hardest to keep up with Ben but sometimes it just isn't possible. He reminds me often that he is still a little kid but turning 3 now makes him a big kid. He hates going to bed at any time even if he is exhausted and crying. He has always needed less sleep then the average kid and thrives on staying up late with mom and dad. Now that Sam is more talkative the two of them often talk for a while before they fall asleep, which is long after Ben has fallen asleep. Will loves electric trains right now. He generally loves all trains but we were given a set for Christmas last year and he has asked to play with them nearly everyday since then. We are not huge into birthdays or birthday cakes but I did make more ghost cupcakes for him. He generally loves to be the center of attention but when we sang to him this morning he got very shy and hid from us. He is a social kid and loves all of his extended family. When they come to see our family he usually screams and jumps up and down with delight. Will has been such a wonderful addition to our family and I don't think my day would be as bright and sunny if he was not around! We love you William!

In other news, this is how I see these two so often. Benjamin has really become quite the reader and William is patient enough to let him read to him. Here they are searching out Christmas objects in an I Spy book. I love when they play together happily!

Also, William and Samuel both lost a toenail this week. William had dropped the little dustbuster on his toe and so the nail eventually came off. Poor Samuel was the victim of rough housing with sliding closet doors. I guess big brothers are good for something! I will spare you to gruesome pictures of those toes but you can imagine what it looks like.

Then after much deliberation and years of contemplation I decided to make the switch to cloth diapers. A few years ago I had made my own flannel cloth diapers but never got a chance to really use them other then as burp rags. I finally bought a few diaper covers, a wet/dry bag, and a few other diapering necessities. Also, while Tuki was here a few weeks ago she taught me how to knit in the round. So now Samuel is sporting cloth diapers and my first finished knitting project: leg warmers. Cloth diapers make big bums that usually don't fit well into regular pants so leg warmers are a good alternative to that. He kept this ones on but they weren't quite long enough so I had to start knitting another pair.(You knitters out there know how the yarn can just sort of take over, right?)

With that said, my mother told me that I really can't move any where else but Austin because I am too "granola-like" just like all the other Austin-ites. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or bad thing but for now I am ok with it. I enjoy being around other people who don't think I am crazy.(maybe I am though?) Homebirth, homeschool, homemade diapers, legwarmers, dishsoap, laundry soap, hand soap, cleaning soaps, and all those other things that make me a little but crazy, including my favorite shoes(Chacos) which my mom will say are not really stylish and a little too granola-y. There's that word again! I love knowing that each day I am becoming a little more self-sufficient by all the "homemade" things I am doing and not so dependent on others. Maybe that's weird but that's where I am at. I want a farm and all the craziness that comes with that too. Maybe one day I can spin my own yarn. Okay, okay, maybe not but it is granola like right? So there you have it. A little insight into the life I love and the family unit I am trying to create. I am happy and looking forward whatever life brings next, even if it isn't granola.

Halloween

2011-10-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Every year for Halloween I think it would be so fun to dress up as a family. But as I have had kids around Halloween every other year we don't get the chance very often. But this year was different. My mom had come to visit us the weekend before our ward Trunk or Treat and I enlisted her help. I had one costume ready...a lion. Each of the kids wore this costume around their first birthday and this year was no different. So to go along with that we chose the Wizard of Oz to be our theme. Here we are in our wonderful costumes. My mom was a HUGE help with these...thanks mom!

Here is my cowardly lion. You can't see it but he has a badge of courage on his back because if I had put it on his front it would have been ripped off immediately. (Editt do you recognize those red feet?)

On to our tin man. William was such a sport about painting his face. We watched the movie a few times recently and he was really hoping to get some smoke to blow out of his hat/funnel but I just couldn't swing that.

I wasn't able to get a picture of Benjamin alone on the night of but here he is modeling the night my mom and I finished everything. He made the perfect scarecrow.

Ben and his sweet friend Emmaline. Her dad was out of town so her family hung out with us for the evening. It was perfect!

And here we are! Our Emerald City in the background and yellow brick road on the ground. My mom whipped up a Dorthy costume in no time at all and my sister painted my ruby slippers. Josh was our Wizard and was originally going to sit behind the curtain but it was too windy.

My two big kids, enjoying the spoils of the evening!

The sugar crash is always the worst. We woke him up, gave them all a bath and sent them to bed. They were so exhausted from all the fun! We have a couple more parties to go to before the weekend is over so we should get good mileage from these costumes this year.

Games

2011-10-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

My mom and sister decided to come for a visit last weekend. They wanted to catch a glimpse of Ben in action on the soccer field. Without telling me, my little brother Brad moved to Houston this last week and came along with them. It was so wonderful to have them all here with us. The weekend fun started with a dance-off. Sam loves to dance and with others watching and joining the fun he goes all it. I know it looks like my mom, sister, and brother won, but Samuel was definitely the best dancer.

My mom brought us all treats from her trip to Singapore and these little Angry Birds were brought back for Sam. We had the sticks already and josh made a sling shot of sorts. The bigger boys loved it!

Then it was off to the soccer game. Ben did great and even uncle Kurt joined the party that day.

My mom just loves it when her kids are all together and she usually wants us to take a picture commemorating the event. So for her enjoyment I added this picture!

The got the team together to take a picture. In years past they paid a big photographer to take pictures of the team and then you had to pay for the picture. Now, they have a YMCA worker take a few pictures and you can take some yourself. It works out better this way for sure!

The weekend was great! The best part was my mom helped(really she did most of it) get our Halloween costumes together. My sister was also a big help with my shoes but you will have to wait to see what color she painted them I am super excited about Halloween this year. I always want to dress up as a family but this is our first year to really do it! Check back in a couple days to see what we looked like...

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

Because Josh is working fast and furious to try and graduate this semester we try to stay out of his hair on the weekends. Because the weather has been so nice we have been able to do lots of outdoor things. We visited a pumpkin patch over the weekend out in the cute little city of Elgin. The place is free but lots of the things cost. We rode the tractor/hayride(but no hay) to the Christmas trees that this farm grows. They hide little pumpkins in the trees and let the kids find them. Here we are about to start the ride.

Their pumpkin finds!

I let them do a couple activities and they chose the pumpkin launcher. They each got 5 mini pumpkins to launch as far as they could. I love seeing them use all their strength to launch them. They were so proud to master this!

Don't you just love the concentration on Williams face?

After you find the pumpkins in the Christmas tree, you can come under the pavilion and decorate them. The day was actually over 90 which isn't that hot for Texas but is it hot for the middle of October. So we stayed there and played and shared a couple of snow-cones.

One last picture in front of the scarecrow and around the pumpkins. Oh, brotherly love!

No Goal

2011-10-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

We are half way through Benjamin's soccer season and things have been great. He looks forward his game every week. Even though they don't keep score and don't say that a team won, Ben knows. He knew that his first three games his team did not score a goal and did not win. But last week they finally scored some goals and won! Even though they didn't say it Ben knew it and was so happy. Here is Ben winding up for a kick toward the goal.

The other two kids love watching and Sam especially enjoys keeping the chair warm for Ben.

Normally I don't post video but Ben asked that I post this one. He is the defended at the goal and he makes a nice save. He was so proud of himself!

Last Day

2011-10-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

The last day Tuki and Kaleem were here, we rode the bus to campus while Josh was in class. We bought a few things at the UT Co-Op and then wandered over to the turtles. This time we were able to get a much better look at the snapping turtles that are in the ponds. There are definitely two of them and one is larger then the other which makes us think that one is male and the other female. Kaleem took pictures that day and so I don't have any to show for this little outing. Then we ate at the cafeteria in one of the student halls. At first I thought this was a silly idea but it was much better then I expected. The buffet they had was really fancy with vegetarian and vegan options(not that I am either but I thought it was nice for those who are.) We were able to have a little bit of lots of yummy things for a really cheap price...only $7!

Sadly, the trip had to end and we said goodbye later that afternoon at the airport. It was so wonderful to have them here and we already miss them!

I wanted to remember a funny story that happened while they were here so I will share it in this post because I don't know exactly when it happened.
Tuki loves to knit. She knits hats for each of the babies that are born in her practice. While she was here she started a pair of socks for herself that were grey, white, and pink. She sat on the couch knitting and Ben came up to ask her what she was doing.
"Knitting socks."
"I want a pair of socks," said Ben.
"You do? Ok, what color of socks would you like?"
Ben looks down at what Tuki is knitting and then replies, "Pink, grey, white."
Tuki laughed and said that they could go to the yarn store and pick out some yarn for his socks that were colors he really liked. We did end up going to the yarn store and it was quite the experience with three kids and a Tuki who LOVES yarn almost as much as she loves her grand-kids. Ben is like his father who is a little like his mother. They love everything so much that they can't decided what to pick when given choices. Thus, the process of picking out yarn took a little while but he settled on a blue, grey, black yarn. Tuki knit one and then will hopefully send the pair soon because Ben is really looking forward to a pair of real socks.

Brenham and Ice Cream

2011-10-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

Of course we can't pass up an opportunity to visit the Blue Bell Creamery so we took Tuki and Kaleem to Brenham. They have another friend who lives in Houston and recently had a baby. They met us for lunch after we took our tour at a local restaurant call "The Funky Art Cafe" and it was funky. Every time we visit the creamery I am convinced even more that Blue Bell is the best ice cream ever made. I'm not sure that we convinced all of our California friends but we still love them!

I usually thinks Josh looks just like his dad but this picture really points out the similarities he has with his mother. A mom with her boy...what a beautiful site!

Kayaks and BBQ

2011-10-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

Back at home Tuki and Kaleem have their own kayaks that they take out on the lake hence the request to kayak on the river here in Austin. I had never been and was really nervous with three little kids. Ben is a fairly good swimmer in a pool but has never been in open water and Will and Sam can't swim at all. To be honest I love the water...pool water. I love swimming in that chlorinated pool where the water is clean and recycled. I know it sounds weird but I just have a phobia about open water and I think it was making me even more afraid to do this. But, because of my pride and my extreme desire to be a good hostess I wanted to do whatever Tuki and Kaleem wanted to do. So I tried to calm my nerves and get in. Things went great other then it being Sam's nap time.

Kaleem and I rode with Will and Sam while Ben rode with Tuki and Josh. Here we are getting in our boats. Sam was not a big fan of the life vest but who is really.

The lady at the dock kindly took our picture before we set sail.

Tuki, Ben and Josh. They even gave Ben a half paddle to help. He loved it.

Ben and Will had the best time and would do it again in a heartbeat.

I'm not sure if you can tell but Sam stood in front of me holding onto the lip around the front of the kayak thinking he was captain of the ship. He loved that until I hit him in the head with the paddle. Oops! Sorry Sam!

At one point Sam got so fussy I was forced to nurse him. Trying to nurse around my life vest and his was really uncomfortable but he did it and fell right to sleep.

After all that exhausting paddling we were ready for a feast. The last time Tuki and Kaleem had requested to go to the Salt Like BBQ and we thought it was too far and not good enough for the drive. Boy were we wrong! So when I found out they were coming again I made sure we took the trip out to Driftwood to visit this famous restaurant. We got there a little early so we could take family pictures which was on my 'to-do' list while they were here. We got some great shots but they are all on Kaleems fancy camera in a format that my computer doesn't know how to convert.

We got all gussied up to take pictures and then changed the boys into play clothes to eat. The food was marvelous as always. They say their secret is a mustard based BBQ sauce instead of a sugar based sauce, that way it doesn't burn. Sam loves the meat there so I know he is my son. He wasn't too scared from the kayaking experience and we all enjoyed a lovely time at the Salt Lick and had enough leftover for dinner the next night.

Visitors

2011-10-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Yep, we had more visitors from the great state of California come see us! Tuki and Kaleem generally don't get to take much time off but they were able to come to Texas for a few days this year without me being pregnant or almost about to pop. It was wonderful to hang out with them for a few days and enjoy a little more of the fun things Texas has to offer.

The first day Tuki was able to meet up with a long lost high school friend. They sat and visited for about and hour just down the street at a dessert shop. Right next door to the dessert shop is a restaurant that Josh and I had never been to called the Hula Hut. It's a cross between Mexican and Hawaiian food and boy was it delicious. It rained that whole day and we were able to sit out on the deck over looking the river. We had planned to see the Bats that night but it was too wet so we waited until the next day.

Of course Tuki gets lots of requests to read books when bedtimes comes around. Thanks Tuki!

The next day Tuki made her famous truffle cake to celebrate everyone's birthday. Afterwards we drove down to see the bats and asked a nice stranger to take a picture of us. Poor little Samuel just barely made it in the picture!

Josh's Birthday

2011-10-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

Just after Samuel's birthday is Josh's. Maybe I should think about having a baby at a different time of year...but I digress. I asked Josh what he wanted to eat for his birthday dinner and this was it. Waffles, strawberries, and whip cream. The kids loved it and it was super easy to put together.

I really do love my sweet husband. He is the best man I have ever known. I am so lucky to be his wife!

Sam's Birthday Again

2011-10-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Since we had already kind of celebrated his birthday with our friends I thought he didn't need much else but alas...I had to make some ghost cupcakes. Sam loved them and we celebrated his birthday again from FHE. I tried a from scratch recipe from Martha Stewart and they were fantastic. Hopefully I save the recipe to use again. The big kids helped with the eyes and had a great time devouring a real ghost!

Sam's Birthday

2011-09-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

Our ward has lots of babies. We are in a student ward with lots of young families. What this usually means is that many families have babies around the same time. This time 3 little ones were born within 5 weeks of each other and Sam was right in between two of the cutest little girls. On Samuel's birthday, Sept. 30, we decided to have a little dessert celebration and sing to the kiddos. The little ones were not quite sure about the whole thing but everyone else seemed to love all the desserts. Really it was just an excuse for me to organize a party. Since we are probably leaving student housing soon I want to have these little parties often. We will certainly miss this part of the communal atmosphere.

Texas State History Museum

2011-09-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

I found out about a home-school day that the Texas State History Museum was having and thought it would be a great idea. The museum is just a few blocks from the bus stop on UT campus so we took the bus. The kids LOVE riding the bus and we try to do it often.

Our stickers so that we could look official.

Another friend in my ward is home-schooling her daughter Emmaline for at least kindergarten and so they came along with us.

Our first stop was a flag making station. Texas has been under 6 different flags and each were very unique.

The museum won't let us take pictures inside so you won't be able to see all the wonderful things we saw. Planes, skeletons, donkeys, movies in Spanish(oops!), the original Goddess of Libery that once stood atop the Capital building, the cows and branding items, NASA artifacts, old pottery and tools, and so much more!
After a while we ended up outside eating lunch in the shade. Josh rode his bike the few blocks and met us there. It was pretty warm outside but the shade was really helpful.

The museum has a picture on the floor that can be seen best from the top floor looking down. They call it a 'colorful terrazzo' featuring a campfire scene. The kids are sitting in the campfire for a last minute picture before we left.

Of course the Texas star stands outside the museum and we had to have a picture. Thanks Tori, Emmaline, and Marta for joining us!

The Weekend

2011-09-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

Benjamin started playing soccer this week at the YMCA. I was really excited to see how he would respond to a team sport. Here is the referee trying to explain to the kids about the goals right before the game. The whole game time is about an hour long. The first 10 minutes are spent "practicing" and then there are four 10 minute quarters with a few minutes break in between.

I took mostly video but this pictures sums up the event for me. Ben standing around watching someone else kick the ball. At least for the first half. Ben really didn't know what to do with the whole game. He would watch the ball being kicked around him and refused to kick it or follow it. So at half time I gave him a peach. I explained that this peach had some special stuff on it that would make him like a magnet to the ball. If he ate them he would be able to follow the ball all around and could run faster then he ever had before. And, what do you know? Those peaches worked their magic. The game was a blowout with the other team scoring about 15 goals and our time not even scoring one. But that was not the point. Ben improved just in that hour and was so excited when he finally had the courage to kick the ball. I don't care at all if his teams wins or loses, but I want Ben to feel proud of his efforts and hard work. Those are the qualities that will stick with him. When we drove away from the game he asked that I bring those peaches with the special stuff on them to the next game. Of course I will!

Our floors needed a good clean after Ben's game and as a reward for playing so well, the boys had to mop the floor. They really wanted to help so I let them. The floors were soaked from all their mopping, so after the wet rags they got drying rags. I am proud of how hard my kids work around our house. They both regularly ask me what they can do to help. They may not do it how I would do it but I have to be pleased with the efforts.

A while back my mom bought the boys a couple of matching church outfits. So this last Sunday they were finally big enough to fit in them. I sat them down to get a good picture of them looking so handsome. I took about 20 pictures trying to get them all to smile while sitting still. After all those failed attempts I decided that this pictures was very telling about who they are at this moment. Ben is trying to be loving and kind to his little brother Sam so he puts his arm around him and snuggles him close. Will wants to do everything Ben does but isn't really as cuddly as Ben so he has to add his crazy grin to the mix while pulling Sam the other way. Poor Sam is getting pulled in two different directions but he really just wants to eat his shoe and even through that he tried to smile. I love these boys more then anything. I never knew what happiness, joy, and love were until I had them. They brighten my day and make me want to be a better mom. I am the luckiest mom to have these sweet boys.

A Whole Lot of Nothing

2011-09-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

I have not posted anything for almost two weeks and it seems quite strange. What have we been doing...nothing. We have been going non-stop since the beginning of May and this was our first real break. We got back into school with the kids and they are doing amazing! We started getting everyone up before the sun at 6:30 and then taking a nice LONG walk with my friend Heather. We walk around a park here in our complex and the kids play. It works out so great, especially when the days are hot and the kids don't get much time to play outside. We have been going to story-time and playgroup. So even though that still fills my days up, it seems to be back to a somewhat normal pace of life. But things are about to change...

Next week in my little Sam's first birthday and I just can't believe it! After that its Josh's turn to get a year older. Then William at the end of October and Benjamin at the end of November. My sweet mother-in-law is coming for a visit mid October to help celebrate all these birthdays with us. Then it will be Halloween. (By the way, if you have any good ideas to dress up my whole family let me know...I am totally stuck this year.) Hopefully, sometime between now and Thanksgiving Josh will defend his dissertation and officially be done with his graduate work. Then, my dad and his wife, my 2 brothers, my sister and her husband, and my clan will all be spending Thanksgiving at my sister's house. I can't wait to help her get things ready...Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year! Then it is Christmas...yikes!

On top of all of those things, Ben starts soccer tomorrow and will play every Saturday for the next 8 weeks. We have a list of things we still want to see just in case we leave Texas. Things like, the Elgin pumpkin farm, the State Fair, Corpus Christie, the Dallas Zoo, the JFK museum in Dallas, and I'm sure a few more. So stick around...the next few months are going to be great!

The Game

2011-09-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't leave my kids home when BYU came to town. It was a late night and lots of walking but the kids were awesome. Here is Sam and Nona who came up for the game along with her husband and his kids.

Just a closer view of our t-shirts! Since BYU gave us our undergrads and UT is giving Josh a PhD we had to support both.

Sam would get so excited when anyone clapped that he had to clap too.

Also, Sam was introduced to suckers. He LOVED it...obviously!

The half time show was really amazing as usual. I missed getting this view from our side so I turned the picture around so it was readable. They usually play The Eyes of Texas and then another song. Because it was Sept. 10 they played the Star Spangled Banner. It was really a neat show. I think it was the boys favorite part!

One more view of the shirts just so I don't forget how hard it was to cut out those little letters for Sam's onesie.

There was one little moment where Josh and I had no kids in our arms. here is the picture to commemorate that moment. The kids love their aunts and uncles, and especially their Nona.

Here are the last few pictures we took of everyone together at the game. We all had such a wonderful time!

(If you can't tell, we are doing a claw for the Cougars with one hand and a Hook'em with the other hand.)

My mom's husband Rory brought his RV and parked it in the tailgating section for people going to the game. We walked over there afterwards and ate a little more junk food and then headed home. I think my kids went to bed after midnight but they were such troopers. They were happy and playful the whole time and not relaly any grumpiness. I am SO glad we were able to see one last football game while we were here at UT. It really is an experience to be a college game. This game had over 100,000 people in attendance.

Missionary Coming Home

2011-09-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

My little brother Brad was coming home from his mission the day before the BYU/UT football game. He was coming home to Utah but my mom had this crazy idea to fly him to Austin the next morning so he could come to the game with us. It all worked out and he ended up coming.

Of course we had to have a crazy big sign and balloons. The night before my sister came up to help. Thanks Shay!

We were at the airport SOOO early because we did not want to miss him. Here is the crowd minus Shay's husband Taylor who was exploring the airport grounds. We were so excited to see him we could barely contain it!

The boys were trying to float away like the house in UP...it didn't work :(

My mom screamed when she saw him and the whole crowd at the airport turned to watch. We are so glad he came home honorably from his mission to Tulsa, OK.

Now we are all together...Josh and Sam are behind Ben's balloons.

We immediately took Brad to one of his favorite places...Buffalo Wild Wings. He LOVES hot wings more then anyone I know. While we were waiting for the wings to come out my two brothers gave Ben a little tickle torture.

Then we were off to the big game!

Crafting

2011-09-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

When we found out that BYU football was coming to Austin we new that we had to go and had to wear matching shirts. Because our souls are truly divided we knew we had to support both teams. So I drove up to see my mom and we worked on our shirts. We debated on the actual style of the shirts and in the end we compromised.

First we had to tye-dye, one side blue and one side orange. This was the first one we did and it was not the best. We got better after doing 9 nine shirts.

We cut out letters and ironed them on using wonder-under. The cutting part took the longest for sure. Next we had to bedazzle the girl shirts...of course! Shay was in charge of bedazzling.

Here are some of the completed shirts before they were worn. It said BYU vs UT on the front. The back was our age and last name.

Because we were totally into watching the US open the kids couldn't watch any cartoons on the main TV. Normally they don't watch too much but while we were ironing, tye-dying, and bedazzling they needed something to do. Here is my William with a head band watching Tom ans Jerry on a portable DVD player.

First Haircut

2011-09-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

It's not like I am mourning the loss of his hair but this occasion is sad because he now joins the long line of haircuts that I do in our family. I started cutting Josh's hair shortly after we were married and now after 6 years of practice I am much better. Samuel's hair was growing over his ears and down his neck. I am a fan of longer shaggy hair but not the mullet. So while we cut the other boys I decided it was time for Sam to get his first haircut. Of the 3 boys he was the most patient during the whole process.

I think his top hair was almost 6 inches long! His hair is thinner then Ben's but thicker then Will's. I saved a little and then moved on. These moments are much less sad when you are cutting so much hair at once.

The Morning

2011-09-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

My friend Heather and I have been walking a few miles each morning with our kids. She puts her oldest on the bus a little before 7 and then heads over to our house. This means we have been getting our kids up about 6:30. Initially I was nervous about getting them up that early but it has been wonderful. Everyone is napping better and sleeping better because they are getting up at an early hour. This week the weather has been a bit cooler in the mornings(like in the 60's) but last week it was still really hot. Getting out early is the only way to get a chance to play outside when the temperatures reach 110 on a daily basis. After playing while Heather and I walked, Ben looked like this. It was only 8:30 and we had a bloody nose, sweaty hair and dirt that had been mixed with sweat everywhere. Will was a similar site.

Like I said, the weather has cooled a little bit which made the kids think they needed coats. It really feels wonderful but my kids are pansies when it comes to the cold weather. Here are my smiling boys ready for the morning play time with their friends.

Urkel

2011-09-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

A while back we bought Ben some new PJ's. They were a little long but I thought it was a good idea to buy them big. When he put them on the first time he pulled them all the way up. He laughed at how high they were and went to show Josh. Josh commented in passing, "You look like Urkel." "Urkel?? Who is Urkel?" Josh showed them some old videos of Urkel off YouTube and they were a hit. Since then, the kids love looking like Urkel every night. I documented this just to embarrass them in their teenage years.

School

2011-09-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

As kids all over the country are going back to school, I thought I would add my two-cents to the school debate. We have chosen(for now) to home-school our kids. Ben will turn 5 in a few months so in most states he couldn't start kindergarten until next year. I decided that I would put him through a kindergarten-like curriculum because he is ready. Lots of people give me the stink-eye when I mention that I birth my babies at home, I don't immunize my kids, I don't circumcise, they rarely see a doc, and I plan to home-school. I feel like I have done my research, counseled with my husband and the Lord and went forward with the best decision for each child. As people have started to ask me more and more why Ben is not in school I have not really come up with a good answer. I usually say something about how much fun he is to have around or how I would be so sad if my big helper was gone all day. But while those reasons are true, they are really not the reasons I choose to home-school my kids. Often my real reasons take too much time to explain so I thought I would go into some detail here as a way to explain myself to my friends and to my kids(if they actually ever read this thing when they get older). So here they are in no particular order...
(Disclaimer: I came from a public school and I think I turned out OK. I know so many kids who are wonderful, well-behaved, kind, courteous, and know how to choose the right that attend public schools. So if anything I say/type offends you, I am sorry. My intentions are to share my opinions and decisions about schooling for me and my children.)
1. I have one chance as a parent to teach my children to be like our Savior. Until they are 8, so much of what they do and say is a reflection upon me. Even after that age, their behavior is still so predicated on what they see. If I can keep them under my wing a little longer to build their confidence, then hopefully they will have more success. I believe that as the mother of my children I have a HUGE responsibility to teach them. How can I do that when they are away from me for 8 hours a day? I have been given these children and they are my responsibility. When this life is over I want to know that I did all I could to lead my children back to our Savior.
2. The most common question I get when I tell people I am home-schooling my kids has something to do with their social life. I find it odd that most people worry about their social-ness over my ability to teach them academics. Susan Wise Bauer in "A Well Trained Mind" says it best,
"Children need friends. Children do not need to be surrounded by large groups of peers who inevitable follow the strongest personality in the crowd. The question for any parent is: Do I want my child to be like his peers? Or do I want my child to rise above them?"
3. My goal for my children is to have them be ahead of the game by the time college comes. Ideally I would like my boys to at least have their associates if not a bachelors before they head out on a mission at 19. I assume all of my sons will get a graduate degree of some sort once they are home from their mission. I would like my girls to have their bachelors before they are 20 so if they choose to get married and have children at a young age they can be satisfied in their own schooling accomplishments. If my girls desire, I want them to get a graduate degree as well.
4. Some of the things that public school teaches are not in line with how I want to teach my children and the only way to avoid that is to keep them at home.
5. I want to be able help my children find a love for learning and not get lost in the masses. I want to give them the opportunity to work at a pace that is challenging yet just right for that specific child. If they are ready to move on with out the normal amount of practice then we can do that. If they require extra time on one particular topic then I have the freedom to allow that.
6. In life we are rarely around 30 people our exact same age. In church, business, college, and work we are asked to work with people who are of all different ages. As our children grow, they can learn skills that are useful in dealing with younger kids, older kids, and adults.
7. I love my children more then I love myself. I have learned so much about our Heavenly Father's love for us as I grow in my love for my children. I know that there isn't anyone out there who could ever love my kids as much as I do. As great as teachers are, they have no real interest in how successful my child is. Only I can give my children the love and tender care they need when they need it. Only I can truly know how hard I can push my child to be better.

I know that most parents are doing the best they can to raise their children with good wholesome values and a good education. For now, this is how I do the best I can. We have committed to home-schooling our kids until they are 8. After that...who knows. I may come to love it even more then I already do and decide to continue or I may choose another option. Fortunately for me I have 3 SIL who are all home-schooling their children. This gives me a great network of support and resources.

We started our home-schooling year a couple of weeks ago and I am enjoying every second of my time with my children. I hope that I have the stamina to keep going.

What's Up Doc?

2011-08-29T15:15:00.001-07:00

My sister came for a visit last week and brought her new puppy. His name is Doc and he is really a wonderful dog. My boys loved him and he was incredibly sweet to them. I thought they would be begging me to get a dog but they have not even asked once.

He sleeps in a kennel at night and the kids wanted to try it out. What one does, the other must do also.

Because Doc is still learning how to be a dog we had to hold our snacks above our heads so he wouldn't eat them out of our bowls. Here is William demonstrating the technique.

Thanks Shay for coming to visit! We really loved it!

To Sea World Again

2011-08-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

That's right...we went to Sea World again. After already spending two full days there a few weeks earlier we knew that we didn't have to spend a whole day there. Our first stop was one of the sea lion shows. We realized that just behind the stadium for the show is a whole exhibit of sea animals. We first got to see the otters. They look a little like a ferret and were crying out the whole time.

Then we had a chance to see the baby sea lions. They were taking a nap but they were cute anyway.

William wanted a picture in front of the sea lion statue and a nice gentleman walked by and suggested that it become a family pic. I love when people are nice enough to take a picture for us!

Of course we had to stop by the Bay of Play and get wet. The kids love this part of Sea World even if you can't see their smiles behind all that water!

The kid rides are still just as fun for them as it was the first time but I have to say that the carousel is not my favorite. Going around and around and around just makes me a little sick.

The penguins were asleep the last time we stopped by so we made sure to see them again while they were awake. We also noticed the "Chick" corral with the baby penguins. The babies don't really look like babies at all. They are huge with brownish-grey fur and look very different from their parents. You can kind of see them through the foggy glass in this picture.

After just a few hours we were ready to be done for the day. It was such a blast to visit again and I am sure we will head back a couple more times before our tickets expire!

Another One Bites the Dust

2011-08-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

We had another long time family move away from student housing this summer. My friend Kristen, the blonde in black, and her family are moving to Egypt. We had a party for her at my house so everyone could say their goodbye's. It is always wonderful to get all these ladies together and we really should do it more often!

The morning they left, the family stopped by our house for breakfast. Well, it was a forced breakfast. I basically tied them to my table and told them they had to eat at my house instead of at McDonalds. I was able to catch a last minute picture of these two boys playing together. Eric is just 4 months younger then Ben. With the rest of Ben's good friends moving away or in school he has become a little lonely.

We were sad to see the Jorgensen family leave Austin, but we are so excited to hear about all the adventures they will be having on the other side of the world! We miss you already Jorgensen's!

Moving

2011-08-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

No, we are not moving. But my brother moved out. He found a place closer to campus and got his own room and bathroom. He doesn't have to listen to Sam cry at night and Will scream that he has to go potty. We will miss him being around!

Weekend Party

2011-08-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

The YMCA had an activity to showcase a camping program that families can attend. To help get more people they had a big water slide for the kids. Along with the water slide they had smoothies and fruit skewers. The boys loved it and it broke up some of the craziness that our life had been lately.

We made some pizza later that night...can you guess which side was Josh's? Josh loves spice and flavor and I am a pretty plain and bland person when it comes to my food. We really love having parties and my kids look forward to it every week!

The Real Reason

2011-08-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

The real reason that Arron and Marcy brought their family all the way from Sacramento was to attend the Downs Syndrome National Conference. After playing for a few days, it was time to get down to business. We stopped by a couple of the Missions in San Antonio on our way to the conference on Friday. We decided it was high time we buy a National Parks Passport. If you don't know what that is look here. We were able to get a few stamps and plan to get lots more. I didn't get many pictures because my camera died again so hopefully I can get some pictures from my SIL. What I can say is that the Missions were just as hot as they were the week before. My little niece Megan ended up over heating a little bit so it was really no fun for her.

We headed to the conference and spent the rest of our time there or at the hotel. I didn't take any pictures those couple of days except this one...right at the very end.

We did decide to ride the riverwalk boats again which is always a fun adventure. Then we ate our favorite restaurant Casa Rio.

Arron and Marcy left early Monday morning but their girls were totally out so I didn't take any pictures. We were sad to see all of our family leave because we had so much fun. It would be so nice if we were not so far away!

Still More...

2011-08-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

We saw one more show with the sea lions and the walrus.

Can you see the sea lion jumping off the second story?

I was really shocked at the size of the walrus'.

Finally, we went to the kid rides one last time to let the little ones ride the roller coaster. The day before William was not tall enough by the workers standards but this evening he was. They let him on and he had a blast! Here are those cute kids at the sign showing they are tall enough to ride the ride!

The last ride was the carousel and I think the only people not on the ride were Josh and Marcy. All the kids including Sam and Brook were on the ride! What a great way to end our adventure to Sea World!

More Sea World?

2011-08-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

We stopped by the dolphin area the next day and had a chance to feed them which meant the opportunity to touch them. William was already napping at this point so he missed out.

Obviously the weather was insanely hot so we took refuge in a shark tank. Ben was fasinated by the sharks and I guess Megan was fascinated by Ben. Actually Ben was totally in love with his girl cousins. They were so sweet to him and he just loved it!

We just happened to be in the right place at the right time to see the sting-rays being fed. From the looks of it the food may be the mans hand!

We let the boys go on some roller coasters while Marcy and I let the kids ride the kiddy rides.

The Sesame Street characters put on a little show that all the kids seemed to enjoy!

Grover was nice enough to take a picture with my boys.

Someone had to go to the bathroom and we did not have the daddy's with us. Arron and Marcy had rented a wheelchair for my niece so with that and the three strollers we didn't know what to do. Ben and Megan had to step up and push a stroller. Here is that adventure...Marcy leading and I was the caboose. Those 4 year old's are strong, just ask them.

End of Day 1

2011-08-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

We finished off the first day at Sea World by riding the kid rides and catching a glimpse of the alligators. The kids loved the kid rides so it was on our list of "must-do" for the second day.

How far apart do you think these two are? You may not believe that just under 5 months separates this pair. It is really the small size of Samuel that Brooklyn look bigger. She definitely has Sam beat on the hair...aren't those curly locks just adorable!

We also went to the nighttime show of the whales. It was more of the smae from the first show and the pictures didn't turn out that great. It was such a long fun-filled day! We threw the kids in bed and took a little rest in order to do it all again the next day.

More Sea World: The Shows

2011-08-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Sea World had a ton of shows that were extremely entertaining. We first saw a ski show. Can you see that skier mid-air probably doing some sort of flip? Anyway, it was amazing. We saw dancing skiers, slalom, skiers, and barefoot skiers. There were all kinds of tricks and death defying stunts.

Then it was off to the killer whales. This was the best part for my boys. We got soaked by the whales and got to see some amazing tricks.

I know the picture isn't that great but here is one completely out of the water, mid-jump!

After the whales the dolphins were just not as cool. They do jump out of the water so high which is really amazing!

The acrobats were really amazing and reminded me of something that Cirque de Soleil would do.

Sea World, Day 1, Part 1

2011-08-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

We took the drive jsut a little south of Austin to head to Sea World. We were able to get a good price on tickets but parking is such a ripoff...$15 a day. We had so much fun there in the 2 days we went that I had to break it up into different parts. The first day we started at the water park but we hit some bumps in the road. Ben was daring enough to go down the water slides with Josh but not daring enough to go by himself.(I would not have let him go either) So he came back very sad and we went to another area that had a slide that two people could go on together. I didn't get a picture of my kids going down but here is my niece Megan and her dad going down together.

Sam was content to eat the life vest...yum!

William couldn't go on many of the rides because he just isn't quite tall enough yet. What he lacks in height he makes up for is bravery. He thinks he is 10 feet tall and can't understand why other people don't see how big he is getting.

After a while we headed over to the kiddie area where the water was only a few inches deep. Sam could crawl around and on top of all the water toys and boy did he feel at home!

I hate the kids drinking this chlorine water but how can they help it when it comes out like this?

I am not sure why but Will loved to float around on his belly at this little play area. When we were done with the water park area I realized that all that crawling around on the floor had totally ruined his water shirt. It lasted 3 summers so I don't mind getting a new one.

Benjamin would fill his hat with water and see how high he could throw it. I am always so proud when I see my boys physical skills growing. He was able to through it so high that it got stuck on top of one of the water features. Aunt Marcy found a worker(I was nursing a baby) who happily retrieved his hat.

Salt Lick

2011-08-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

One of the nights we were here in Austin we took them to the Salt Lick BBQ for dinner. When I had Sam, Josh's mom requested that we visit this restaurant. We had not been there in a long time and thought that some other BBQ we had was really similar, cheaper and closer. So we took her there instead. Since then, I had some of the Salt Lick's famous BBQ and totally regretted not taking her out there. The food is absolutely delicious and the sauce is one of a kind. So Tuki...come back and we will take you there for best Texas BBQ!

New Visitors

2011-07-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

After just a few days of catching up on sleep and grocery shopping we had some more of the "Other Cambridge's" come to town. Josh's other older brother Arron and his family came from Sacramento as well. They have a daughter who was born with Downs Syndrome and the annual conference was held in San Antonio this year. So they came a few days early to party with us! It was so wonderful to have all these cousins get reacquainted with each other. Courtney loves babies and immediately was a great help with Samuel.

We didn't go too far the first couple of days because they had just spent so many hours in the car. So we went to a park and to the Zilker Hillside Show of "Footloose". The kids had a blast even though it was pretty hot outside.

We made all kinds of Chinese food for dinner and took it with us. Here is the gang getting ready to watch the show.

Josh and Arron spent the next day at home working while Marcy and I took our kids to the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory. I forgot my camera that day but I think Marcy took some pictures for me! After that we shopped and got all the food ready for the big trip to San Antonio.

The End

2011-07-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

So our family had to leave at some point...bummer! My kids had so much fun with their cousins and it was so sad to see them go. We had to get a few last pictures of these cute kids together. I was so happy with they called a while ago and told me they were coming for a visit. We had a wonderful time with them! All the kids got along great and we got to show them so much of Texas! Thanks to the "Other" Cambridge's for coming to Texas!

Towers and Turtles

2011-07-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

The clock tower on campus is so iconic and a must see when visiting Austin. Just behind the tower is a turtle pond dedicated to the lives lost when a gunman shot at people from the clock tower back in 1966. This time at the turtle pond we found a snapping turtle along with the other red-eared sliders.

The Capital of Texas Is...

2011-07-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Austin!
That's right, we live in the capital city!

The chairs these kids are sitting on are made by the prisoners in the state prison.

The kids were kind of bored with the capital building but it was very educational for the adults. I am sure I knew this before but the Texas Legislature is only a part time gig. They work about 5 months every other year and they are paid a reasonable salary. The capital building is, of course, bigger then the national capital building because everything is bigger in Texas. The desks in the Senate room and House room are all original but have been outfitted with electrical systems.

I love that we live in such a free country and that the founding fathers set up such a wonderful government system. As parts of it seem to be falling apart I feel more and more blessed for the freedoms I have.

Remember the Alamo!

2011-07-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

The Alamo is such a great Texas History site if you happen to be in San Antonio. This is another site we visit when anyone comes to visit! They have a trolley that will tour you around historic San Antonio and the boys wanted their picture in front of it.

The Alamo closes at 5:30 so we didn't have much time to spend there. We were able to get a picture with everyone though! After the Alamo, we went out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Casa Rio. It is the oldest restaurant on the Riverwalk and has wonderful food.

Mission

2011-07-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

We decided to visit the Missions in San Antonio before we stopped by the Alamo. It was so hot and the church was under construction. Levi, Naomi and their kids were such troopers walking around in the heat.

Again, these two were always together.

There are lots of historic missions there is San Antonio with the Alamo being the most visited. We only visited one other one but maybe we will go back with our next set of visitors. After our quick visit to the San Jose Mission we cooled off in our cars and headed to the Alamo.

The Beach

2011-07-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

We decided to spend one day at the beach on Galveston Island. The water here in Texas is so much different then in California.

Ben enjoyed catching the waves with his hat.

Andrew and Bryson were so brave. They went out so far and seemed to really enjoy themselves.

Of course snacks are part of any outing. We took beach chairs but no umbrella. Bummer!

William is a afraid when it comes to the pool or open water. So Josh took him out to hit the waves. William loved it and cried when we took him out. My boys love their daddy!

NASA

2011-07-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Josh's brother Levi really loves the space program so naturally NASA seemed like the place to take this family. We rode the tours, saw the Saturn V rocket, watched some videos of astronauts, touched a moon rock, went inside command center, saw where the astronauts train, learned about the new Orion program, and so much more.

The crew on one of the tours.

The Saturn V rocket looks so big compared to my little boys!

Here is Josh bringing up the rear of the tour. Josh is usually one of the stragglers on tours like these because he loves to read everything. I hope his passion for learning is passed on to our kids.

Blue Bell Creamery

2011-07-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

We have driven by the Blue Bell Creamery so many times but have never stopped. So on our way to Houston we took our visitors to try some of the best ice cream. The tour is just a few dollars and at the end you get a scoop of their famous ice cream. We had to get a picture with the lovely hats!

We weren't allowed to take any pictures on the tour but we did learn a few interesting facts. The factory only runs for about 8 hours, 5 days a week. Everyday they take the pipes apart and clean them. I thought that was really amazing! Also, they are #3 in ice cream sales in the United States behind Dryers and Breyers. The biggest difference is that Blue Bell is only sold in 20 states! I grew up on this ice cream and so I naturally love it! It isn't good for your waistline though.

Here we all are at the end of the tour enjoying our scoops. We tried, sherbet, cookies and cream, mint chip, dutch chocolate, blackberry cobbler, strawberry, and strawberry cheesecake.(I think that was all we tried?) Each one was passed around for everyone to sample.

Instead of ice cream Sam wanted his toes. A new trick he has learned recently. We did give him a few bites of ice cream because we just felt so bad for him.

This is one of the original trucks they used to deliver their ice cream. Josh noticed that it must still be running because the registration and inspection stickers in the windshield were current.

The Usual Sites

2011-07-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

When people have come to visit us we like to take them to the usual places. We first took the other Cambridge family to Josh's Lab. Josh gave us a little tour and then it was off to see the bats.

A huge bat colony lives under a bridge in downtown Austin. At dusk the 1.5 million bats take flight over the river. It can be a spectacular site but the smell is not great. As we were walking over there we saw a large group of bats fly out and we were bummed. We thought maybe we had missed it. But they were only taking a break. We were able to get on the bridge this time and had a great view of a second round of bats flying out.

They Came!

2011-07-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

I had been begging my sister-in-law to come visit us in Texas. This summer they finally made the crazy drive from Sacramento to Austin. We were SO excited they decided to come and wanted to make sure they had a marvelous time. After their long drive we thought it was a good idea to take them to the pool. The weather was hot but bearable if you were in the water. Instead of bringing towels for everyone we just went over to the park and dried off. It was a great way for the kids to let off some energy after being in the car for two days.

These two are able 5 months apart and had a marvelous time together. After only a day of play Ben suggested to Catherine that they get married. He moves fast when he finds a woman he likes.

Two peas in a pod. I swear these two were inseparable. Ben insisted they ride together in the same car wherever we went. He wants us to move near them when we get a job.

In Other News...

2011-07-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Strange things have been happening at our house. We must be going crazy because everyone is acting very weird. My child who really hates to sleep, especially when something is going on, fell asleep at the dinner table after eating his favorite meal...spaghetti.

Then, my other child who is usually shy and reserved has exploded with life and vitality, especially in public. Since this has happened his hair has never been the same. Ok...so what really happened was a blow dryer and a Nona did this to his hair. It reminds me of when he was a newborn, his hair looked just like this.

We were preparing to have visitors come so they must have felt the anxiety too!

More Swim Lessons

2011-07-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

Yes...Ben took more swim lessons. I know I should have given Will some lessons but I just couldn't. Both the city and the YMCA require the kid to be 3 before they can have lessons independently. With my other kids around I just couldn't let William have swim lessons, at least not this year. Sorry William :(

These swim lessons were with another one of Ben's good friends Eric. Both families have memberships to the YMCA which is just a couple of miles from our house.

These boys had a great time together!

Initially Ben was hesitant to put his face in the water for more then a second. So I purchased some better kid goggles and then he took off! I was so glad I bought them. He loves swimming under water and diving down to get things at the bottle of the pool. He can tread water now and can do a number of the standard strokes. In this picture he is climbing down a pole all the way to the bottom at the deeper end of the pool. I am so glad he tried something that was a little scary for him and now he is so proud of himself!

ps- Pictures courtesy of Nona.

Art Park

2011-07-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

Austin has an Art Park activity every year and we just were able to make it to one of them. They are so much fun and we have loved going in years past. They have tons of instruments out for the kids to try and experiment with. Ben only tried the drums but I didn't catch a picture.

William tried most of them but found the most success at the string instruments. I have always wanted my kids to play the violin and I might get that chance.

Poor Sam doesn't look to happy but I promise he is.

This is the outdoor auditorium that quickly fills up. There is usually other activities after the musician performs but we were not able to stay for that. We really enjoy it even though the weather is so hot!

Walk/Run/Ride Around The Trail

2011-07-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

It is really hot here in Austin right now. Everyday it is over 100 with out an end in sight. We generally stay inside most days but occasionally we head out in the early hours of the day. So early one morning, my friend and I took the kids on a walk around the river to feed the ducks. Ben rode his bike while the others walked, ran, and rode in the strollers.

On this particular day there were no ducks but tons of turtles. We really love the red-eared sliders because Josh owned one for a long time before we were married.

The two babies who are only 3 weeks apart sat happily in the strollers, just enjoying the ride.

One turtle seemed to have lost its way out of the river and onto the trail. To the kids this was priceless!

I had so much fun that Josh and I decided to run it the next morning. This time it was quite the workout. Ben rode his bike the whole way(about 3.5 miles), Josh pushed the other two boys and I ran with Ben. Ben is getting really good on his bike and we are hoping to get him riding without his training wheels really soon.

I have been doing most of my running inside on a treadmill at the YMCA but the occasional trail run is fun.

9 Months

2011-07-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Seriously! 9 months old already! My little Samuel is growing up so fast! He has 4 teeth and loves to pinch and scream. He sounds pleasant right? Actually he is such a joy to have around and I don't know what our life was like without him. He really seems to complete our family.

He crawls super fast now and walks along all the furniture. We try to see if he wants to walk but even if we hold his hands he has no interest. Fine with me. He has other skills that make him a champion in our house. He follows me around everywhere and when he realizes that what I am doing is not so fun, he finds the boys. He has been found playing in the toilet water already and loves to help empty the dishwasher even if they are not clean. Nothing is safe on the floor for even a minute because he can hunt out anything you want to keep safe and nice. He also knows the right times to spit up and sneeze...right after I am dressed and clean, of course. He can click his tongue and blows extremely wet raspberries on cue. He can dance like no other baby I know...total hip action. He enjoys eating, pooping, and finding any little piece of dirt on the floor to eat as an afternoon snack. His new trick is tantrums. When I need to hold him and he doesn't want it, he will flail about and scream in an effort to make me let him go. If you are looking for an eternal companion for your little girl and are interested in this little fire cracker...contact me asap.

In other news...We still don't have any idea what we are going to be doing for the rest of our lives. Everyone keeps asking and I keep have the same dull answer, "I don't know." We don't know if we will actually graduate in August and we don't know where a job will be. Josh is working night and day to finish his dissertation and is making some major progress. We will let you know more when we know more...

So here is my entourage. All these boys...what am I going to do? Its a good thing I am girly enough to hold my own here. A couple of sunbeams commented on a necklace I wore recently and I realized how much fun it will be to have a little girl in the house, eventually.

Lastly, forts. Forts are a common occurrence in our house. The easiest one to make and take down is on the bunk beds. The big ones love it and Sam wishes he could climb higher to get in it. Instead he stands at the door enjoying the view.

Independence Day

2011-07-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

The weekend of the 4th of July was full of fun for us. We started off with a breakfast on Saturday at our ward building. The boys enjoyed it but it got hot very quickly.

On Monday morning we were invited to a brunch with some friends. Yummy food and fun friends is always a treat! Josh had to work but joined us later for fireworks.

The City of Austin did not do fireworks this year because we are in a major drought. Funny how some of the country has way too much water and others not enough. So we drove a little ways south and ended up in Kyle where they were set to have their show. We camped in a spot early and let the kids eat dinner and play.

Last year William fell asleep during the fireworks because they were too loud. This year was a totally different experience. He was excited about every single one and kept screaming for each one. I think I watched him more then the fireworks. While Ben is more reserved with his emotions, Will has more then enough outward expression.

Happy Independence Day!

The Long Goodbye

2011-06-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

I dedicated this week to helping my friend Editt move out. She planned a potluck on Monday night and this was the crowd that was there. All except for one family lives in student housing. What a bunch we are!

Then I spent most of the time this week watching Editt's 3 little boys while she packed and cleaned. I will miss these boys so much!

Today was the big day to clean and get everything all finished inside their apartment. A couple of other friends and their 3 kids came over to help clean and watch kids. Amanda was brave enough to watch all 12 kids 5 and under! Of course I am biased, but I think this group of kids is the cutest I have seen!

Here are the 9 bigger kids eating goldfish and cookies.

These 3 babies are about 5 weeks apart. Elinor(far right) is 13 days older then Samuel and Charlotte(far left) is 3 weeks younger. They can all crawl and from the looks of this picture they are all teething!

The boys just had to wave goodbye and we had a group of people sending them off as they drove away. I cried for a few hours and then fell asleep on my chair while the kids watched a movie. I am going to be a little lost for a while without my friend...so if you see me wandering around aimlessly you will know why.

Bye Law family! You will be missed!

Visit to Nona

2011-06-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

We are not sure where we will be living once school is done for Josh so we are trying to take advantage of visiting my mom. With Josh working on his dissertation night and day we decided another trip to Nona's was well worth it. My mom took tons of pictures with her nice camera and when I go back I will try and get them off her camera but for now this is what I got.

We always eat lots of yummy food when we visit.

One of our favorite things to do is to visit the Childrens Museum. I always love their exhibits and you could really stay there for a few days and still not get all of it done. This time they had molecule building tools. Of course we had to stop and build some. What a great way to learn chemistry!

They also had rubber roller coaster that used golf balls. You could move some of the pieces around to make your roller coaster jump, loop, or turn. The boys LOVED it!

We had to get a picture outside hanging on to the big kids.

They also had a new surfing game that both Ben and Will seemed to enjoy. It takes a certain kind of balance to hang on to those boards.

Then it was off to make parachutes for the wind tunnel. Last time we made rockets and paper airplanes to launch. Ben made his parachute all by himself and it actually worked better then the one William and I built.

If you are ever in Houston with your kids, plan to go here because there is fun for kids of all ages. They even have huge room dedicated to babies and kids under 2. Thanks Nona for the wonderful week!